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Casey Affleck's production company signs Amazon movie and TV deal
Amazon's foray into big-actor dramas paid off after the film it distributed, Manchester By The Sea, won awards, including a Golden Globe and Academy Award for its lead actor, Casey Affleck. Today, he seemingly repaid the favor by announcing that his production company Sea Change Media has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Amazon Studios.
Amazon's new video strategy: make the next 'Game of Thrones'
Amazon's original shows aren't exactly small indie productions these days, but the internet giant is aiming for bigger. In an interview with Variety, Amazon Studios chief Roy Price says the company is shifting its strategy to focus on huge dramas with worldwide appeal, on the level of Game of Thrones -- basically, the sort of show that prompts online buzz and day-after watercooler talk. To that end, Amazon has ordered shows you might not expect, including a Wong Kar-wai directed show about immigrants in 19th-century San Francisco (Tong Wars), a comedy starring Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph and a comic book adaptation produced by Seth Rogen (The Boys).
Amazon picks up James Gunn's 'Starsky and Hutch' reboot
Hot off the blockbuster success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn is reviving a TV classic for Amazon. The tech giant's studio arm has landed the rights to the Starsky and Hutch reboot, with Gunn penning the script alongside his brother Brian Gunn, and cousin Mark Gunn.
Amazon snags rights to Lucille Ball movie starring Cate Blanchett
Amazon isn't done seeking Hollywood glory just because it has a couple of Oscars under its belt. The internet giant's studio wing has snapped up Luci and Desi, a high-profile biographical flick covering the relationship between I Love Lucy co-creators Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The movie is still very much a work in progress (the role of Desi hasn't even been cast yet), but it already reflects Amazon's award-seeking intentions: Cate Blanchett will star, and The Social Network's Aaron Sorkin wrote the script.
Amazon will become a bona fide film studio this year
Amazon has traditionally stuck to buying and producing films, relying on indie film studios to distribute its flicks to cinemas. However, its next big release will see the retail giant's burgeoning production arm move one step closer to becoming a full-scale film studio. According to Variety, Amazon Studios will solely handle distribution for Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel, which is due out in December. As a result, it will have complete control over how the film is released -- from marketing to film festival screenings to its wider rollout in theatres.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's last work heads to Amazon's silver screen
Amazon's turning to literature once again for an original series. Only this time, Jeff Bezos' video wing is eschewing Philip K. Dick in favor of The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Period piece The Last Tycoon tells the story of young Hollywood studio executive Monroe Stahr in the 1930s as he battles his boss (played by Kelsey Grammer) "for the soul of their studio" amid The Great Depression and the rise of Hitler's Germany. The story is loosely based on the short, but highly influential career of MGM producer Irving Thalberg -- the man responsible for sneak previews, reshoots and story conferences with scriptwriters. If the trailer below proves interesting enough, you can check out the pilot episode right now ahead of the full season's July 28th premiere. Still not enough Fitzgerald? Then maybe check out Z, the story of F. Scott's wife, Zelda, on the service.
Twitch toys with the idea of chat-controlled TV shows
It sounds like Twitch doesn't want its new sneaker show to be its only stab at interactive programming. In the eyes of chief operating officer Kevin Lin, the ideal TV experience on the platform would be one where the story changes from one episode to the next depending on user feedback. "We'd want to identify really progressive studios that are willing to take a gamble and not release something in a big dump like most digital platforms these days," Lin told Recode. "[Someone who] will work with us and say, 'week to week, we're going to change this thing. We're going to somehow make it a little more interactive.'"
Amazon gets seven Oscar nominations for 'Manchester by the Sea'
As awards watchers expected, Manchester by the Sea ended up being a major Oscar magnet for its co-distributor Amazon. The film, which was also Amazon's first Golden Globe winner, nabbed seven Academy Award nominations this morning: including best picture, actor (Casey Affleck), actress (Michelle Williams), supporting actor (Lucas Hedges), director (Kenneth Lonargan) and original screenplay. It's particularly notable as the first-ever Best Picture nominated film for a streaming service.
Amazon picks up 'Lore' TV series
Though comic conventions might traditionally be the domain of superheroes and space epics, Amazon Studios used its New York Comic Con panel today to announce that Amazon Prime will be the home of the upcoming Lore TV series, based on the popular nonfiction podcast of the same name. Producer Gale Anne Hurd and program creator Aaron Mahnke were on hand to talk about the show, set to debut on Amazon Prime in early 2017.
Amazon Japan adds 12 new original series to Prime Video
Amazon isn't wasting any time making good on its original programming plans for Japan. As part of its Prime Video service, which launched in September of last year, the company had announced plans to offer about 20 original shows tailored to that market. And today, Amazon Japan has unveiled a slate of originals detailing 12 new series that span a variety of genres, including documentaries, dramas and children's shows. Standouts include Magi, a time-traveling historical drama about teens that return to Japan to find Christianity's been banned; new versions of Ultraman and Kamen Rider; and manga adaptations like Businessmen vs. Aliens and Baby Steps. While some of these series are already available to stream now, others are planned to debut later in the year or even in 2017. It's also worth noting that Prime Video subscribers in Japan get access to these originals, as well as other Amazon series like Mozart in the Jungle for the bargain price of $32/year. Doesn't seem fair, now does it?
Amazon is making a KKK movie led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Amazon's push for original content has seen it expand beyond TV shows and into movies. The company plans to release 12 films a year, which has caught the attention of some of Hollywood's biggest talents, including Spike Lee and Woody Allen. The Hollywood Reporter reports that for its next project, Amazon has signed Inception and Looper actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who will potentially produce and star in a new movie charting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
Amazon is working on a comedy starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
The man who calmly did the splits between two moving semi trucks and lived to tell the tale is starring in a comedy from Amazon. Jean-Claude Van Johnson has Jean-Claude Van Damme playing a martial arts actor who ditches retirement and steps back into his role as an undercover private contractor, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Yep, seriously: He's moonlighting as a spy/assassin when not filming a "reimagined action film version of Huckleberry Finn" in the show. Expendables scribe Dave Callaham is attached to write, so that should give a few clues of what to expect in terms of tone.
Watch Amazon spoof tech culture in its upcoming sci-fi movie (updated)
There's already a spot-on parody of tech industry culture you can watch, but Amazon -- a big part of that industry -- might have a clever satire of its own. Its studio wing just released the first trailer for Creative Control, a movie that roasts the relentless optimism of many tech companies. The story revolves around augmented reality glasses that are supposed to put a "magical layer" on top of life (a not-so-subtle poke at devices like Google Glass and HoloLens), but really just mess with the main character's grasp of the real world. Among other things, the flick includes virtual romance and a surreal performance from noted VR enthusiast Reggie Watts. There's no release date yet, but what little we've seen suggests that it'll be worth waiting for the eventual online and theatrical releases. Update: It's debuting March 11th.
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Amazon Studios' next original movie comes out later this year
Amazon is ready to make another feature film. Paterson is written by Jim Jarmusch and will star Adam Driver in the title role. Following Spike Lee's musical drama satire, Chi-Raq, Paterson, also directed by Jarmusch, will be released later this year --- with filming already completed in New Jersey and New York, will be released later in 2016. Paterson is a bus driver, who also just happens to live in Paterson, NJ. It'll follow his daily routine (and poetry he writes from what he hears around him) — sounding very ...different from Lee's movie. Amazon Studios, which started in 2010, has mostly focused on episodic series, while the move into theater releases is a relatively recent one. A few Golden Globes certainly helps inspire confidence.
Amazon confirms Spike Lee's 'Chi-Raq' is its first original movie
After being rumored for months, Amazon just confirmed that it's producing Spike Lee's Chi-Raq as its first original film. It's even going to get a theatrical run, giving it a shot at Oscar consideration, reports The Wrap. The film, which stars plenty of big names Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Hudson and Wesley Snipes, centers on inner-city gang violence in Chicago (Iraq + Chicago, get it?). Lee's most recent film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, was a low-budget affair crowdfunded by Kickstarter, so it's not a huge surprise to see him explore new production models with Amazon. Chi-Raq's subject matter seems much more compelling than Lee's Oldboy remake, so we're hoping it's closer to his earlier films like Do the Right Thing. "I'm honored to be part of the film that will launch Amazon Studios and to tell a story that is so important," Lee said in a statement. "Please don't be fooled by the title of Chi-Raq, this new Spike Lee joint will be something very special."
Amazon will bankroll Terry Gilliam's cursed 'Don Quixote' movie
There are many famously unmade films, but few are as well-documented as Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The Monty Python star has been trying to make his passion project since 1998, the most successful, erm, unsuccessful attempt being documented in the documentary Lost in La Mancha. Now, the director has revealed that Amazon will stump up cash to shoot the film as part of a deal he signed back in May. According to an interview in Indiewire, the plan is for a theatrical release in the US that'll be followed "a month or two afterwards" by a splashy premiere on Amazon Prime.
Amazon is bringing back one of the 1970s' more bizarre kid's shows
Amazon Studios is about to get weird: The outfit announced that it's reviving the bizarre '70s children's show, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters with its original creators Marty and Sid Krofft at the helm. Not familiar with those names? Well, you've almost assuredly seen some of the Krofft's work -- they're the duo responsible for H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost among many others. Most Engadget readers have heard of the latter, right? For further catch-up, check out the episode of Sigmund up above. It's a perfect way to get introduced (or reminded) of just how bizarre children's TV programming was back in the days of disco. I mean, an anthropomorphic ball of seaweed becomes smitten with a dog within the clip's first five minutes. Seriously.
Amazon is working on seven new pilot shows for next year
With the new year just around the corner, Amazon wants to get its customers excited by revealing fresh content for yet another Pilot Season. Today, the online retailer announced that it has seven shows due to debut in 2015, which will be made available to Instant Video subscribers in the US, UK and Germany "early" next year. The lineup is a collection of four 60-minute shows (Cocked, Mad Dogs, The Man in the High Castle and Point of Honor), plus three shorter, half-hour-long productions (Down Dog, Salem Rogers and The New Yorker Presents). There's something for everyone, it seems, ranging from categories such as drama, comedy and documentary. If you're interested, you can learn more about each one right here.
Filmmaker Ridley Scott is tackling a Phillip K. Dick project for Amazon
The works of author Phillip K. Dick have proven fertile ground for classic sci-fi movies like Total Recall and A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle is up next. Except, well, it's making its debut on the small screen, by way of Amazon Studios and executive producer Ridley Scott (pictured above), according to Deadline. For the unfamiliar, Castle takes place in a 1962 where the Allied Powers were defeated in World War II, and, as a result, Germany and Japan began an occupation of the United States -- Scott's sci-fi phase apparently isn't stopping anytime soon. With the legendary filmmaker working on Halo: Nightfall, the Prometheus and Blade Runner sequels and now this, we're even tempted to call it a trend. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Amazon lines up a drama from writers behind Braveheart and Lost
Amazon clearly doesn't think that one politically charged show is enough to counter Netflix efforts like House of Cards. The online retailer turned media producer has ordered a pilot for Point of Honor, a drama set on the cusp of the American Civil War and originally planned for ABC in 2011. The setting is intriguing, although the real highlight of the would-be series may be its pedigree -- Braveheart's Randall Wallace and Lost's Carlton Cuse are writing the story for the initial episode, while Wallace will also direct. Amazon will still have to gauge viewer reactions to the pilot before it greenlights a full run, but the talent involved so far is promising. [Image credit: Don Sniegowski, Flickr]
